‘It's only a picture’: sexting, ‘smutty’ snapshots and felony charges 1
2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 24; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/14725860903309203
ISSN1472-5878
Autores Tópico(s)Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection
ResumoAbstract Notes [1] Parts of this article appeared as a three-part blog essay prepared for the Center on Media and Child Health, Boston, as 'Perspective on Sexting', 15, 16, and 18 April 2009 – see http://cmch.typepad.com/. [2] I am not including instances I would classify as 'para-sexting' as suggested in the following episode: 'Five youngsters in Mayville, New York face obscenity charges after getting caught with pornographic material on their cell phones. Similarly, a 14-year-old boy in Florida recently got suspended for sending photos of a topless woman to all his friends via cell phone' (Kasparian Citation2009). These acts approximate teenagers passing around a 'dirty magazine'. [3] Consider the following comment: 'One quick clue that the criminal justice system is probably not the best venue for addressing the sexting crisis? A survey of the charges brought in the cases reflects that – depending on the jurisdiction – prosecutors have charged the senders of smutty photos, the recipients of smutty photos, those who save the smutty photos, and the hapless forwarders of smutty photos with the same crime: child pornography. Who is the victim here and who is the perpetrator? Everybody and nobody' (Lithwick Citation2009). [4] For an introductory overview, and a view of how sexting is being reported on the evening news, see http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10095849&nav=15MV, and for another programme on ABC Good Morning America (a segment from 15April 2009), featuring a town-hall meeting with teens who have sent and received 'sexts' and their parents, with Diane Sawyer and Parry Aftab of Wired Safety, see http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7337547&page=1. [5] According to a survey of 700 teens published in April 2008 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 71% of respondents already own cell phones, while only 59% own computers (see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26510338/). [6] This article will be restricted to still digital photographs; I will save for a later date the examination of sexted videos – for example, an investigation by the Holbrook, MA police department of an alleged case of teenagers creating and distributing a video that, according to news reports, featured two of the kids 'having sexual intercourse while the third recorded it'. The video was shared amongst students attending Holbrook Junior-Senior High School (National Coalition Against Censorship Citation2009, blog). [7] See 'Technology fuelling sexting craze' (13 May 2009; http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Technology/2009/05/13/Technology_fuelling_sexting_craze_331599.html). [8] Happy slapping is said to occur when someone (usually a teenager or young adult) assaults an unsuspecting victim while an accomplice records the assault (commonly with a camera phone or a smartphone). For commentary and violent examples from the UK, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Qrs3OQgV8, and for a recent account from the US, see 'Teen beating caught on cell phone camera' at http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-teen-beating-caught-on-tape-jun05,0,1609986.story. For a humorous example, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e69mT9dQTWY. [9] One expression of this embeddedness for current teenage females appeared as follows: 'These girls have grown up on-screen, be it in home movies or MySpace profiles. Their lives are lived in the story – the telling and the showing. They also think that their value lies in their bodies. This is part of pop culture. Heck, it's almost an honor for actresses to pose for Maxim, Playboy and the like. But also keep in mind that girls probably don't intend for these to go public (though they will, of course … .) Girls are feeling pressure to compete with online porn, to make the real thing as enticing as the digital' (Mooney Citation2008). [10] I have not uncovered any discussion of either a gay or a lesbian sexting pattern, which is certainly not to say that such does not exist. [11] The following terms may help distinctions. I will refer to the pictorial content of a sexting message as a 'sext', which is a subcategory of a broader range of 'picts'; the sender of a sext will be referred to as a 'sexter', and the receiver of a sext as a 'sextee'. [12] The survey was sent to 1289 people, including 653 teens aged 13 to 19 and 627 young adults aged 20 to 26. Key findings of the survey can be found at www.thenationalcampaign.org (see also http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/15/teens-play-show-and-cell/). [13] One rather serious consequence for some is the enhanced likelihood of ending up in Hell. In an award-winning essay entitled 'What's Wrong With "Sexting"?' by Christiana Zipay, a junior at Lutheran High School South in the St. Louis area, we read: 'Gospel writer Matthew supports my stance. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Girls who send nude pictures of themselves to their boyfriends are tempting the receivers into adultery, a sin expressly forbidden by the Ten Commandments. Likewise, the males taking these pictures and passing them around are not only committing adultery in their hearts but are spreading this sin around to others, allowing their girlfriends to be the subject of other peoples' [sic] lusts as well' (WorldNetDaily Citation2009). [14] StopCyberbullying.org, an expert organisation dedicated to Internet safety, security and privacy, defines cyberbullying as: 'a situation when a child, tween or teen is repeatedly "tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted" by another child, tween or teen using text messaging, email, instant messaging or any other type of digital technology'. According to Andrew Weiner, such acts are considered cyberbullying if it is two children involved. But if there is an adult involved it is considered 'cyber harassment' or 'cyber stalking' (Weiner Citation2009). [15] A related suggestion appeared as follows: 'But, I know one sure way to put an end to it: send a copy of every text message and MMS message created or received by a child to the parents who are paying the bill. Every teen in the country would yell out, "No way!"' (Purdy Citation2009).
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